Taiwan needs no further introduction as it is a favourite Asian destination for many. Filled with beautiful landscapes, charming townships and saunas. A big draw for tourists coming to Taiwan is FOOD!!! The vegetarian food in Taiwan is AMAZING! Being a vegetarian, you can eat very well in Taiwan as they have a huge variety of food from regional to international cuisine, across all levels of price range from exquisite restaurants to yummy street snack vendors! Caution: You will be leaving the country with that few extra gains at your waist! haha

It has been ages since my last trip to Taiwan, or at least for the purpose of exploring food! Recently, I went on a trip to Taiwan to explore nice places to eat! Yes, just to eat!!! As a vegetarian, you may be thinking life should be miserable for me, just vegetables or mushroom, but after reading this article I’m sure you will be surprised! haha Hope you like what I have put together “20 Vegetarian Food in Taiwan You Shouldn’t Miss!” 🙂

Note: To be diplomatic, the list of places are arranged in a random order, not according to preference.

12 Vegetarian Food In Taiwan You Shouldn’t Miss!

#1 Jen Dow Vegetarian Restaurant ( 蓮香齋)

Considered as an upscale dining venue, Jen Dow, is an international buffet that offers over 200 dishes from local Taiwanese delights, Chinese, Japanese, Italian cuisine etc… The variety of dishes is Humongous! This is the largest scale vegetarian buffet I ever had in my life! The place is so huge that it took me 10 minutes to explore their dishes and different cuisine stations. I was honestly blown away by the scale of it.

The superior food quality is undoubtedly one of the best in Taiwan.  The food was so interesting and well presented that I couldn’t resist attempting to try most of them, but it is impossible to eat everything! My favourite is the hot pot station where you can choose fresh vegetables, mushrooms, other mock meats and also choose my own stew from a list! It can be a chore to dine here because there are far too many choices! haha A happy problem! 🙂

Ice Cream lovers, you can have your own ice cream feast here too. And if you think they offer cheap ice creams, you are wrong. They offer Haagen Dazs ice cream as part of the buffet! This place is simply amazing!

Address: 188 Nanjing East Road, Section 5, Taipei, Taiwan

Tel: +886 2 2761 2277

Tip: Must make advance reservation to avoid disappointment!

#2 Shang Ding Huang Jia Vegetarian Dumplings (上顶皇家素食水煎包)

I cannot recommend this vegetarian dumpling stall enough! This is not a restaurant, but a stall near Taipei Main Train Station! This stall produces the finest quality of dumplings, from the dumpling skin to stuffing ingredients made from fresh cabbage and cellophane noodles, the mouthwatering dumpling is a spot on! It makes you eat more, and you think probably one or two is enough? Wait till you add their chilli sauce, then you will find it hard to resist the temptation for eating more! Delicious is an understatement to describe it! 🙂

I need to confess, I ate 10 dumplings at one shot, and it wasn’t enough. I went straight to Jen Dow for the buffet after eating 10 dumplings that evening! haha

Address:  107 Sanshui Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108

Tel: +886 2 2302 5597

#3 Yang Shin Vegetarian Restaurant (養心茶樓)

Another upscale Cantonese dim sum restaurant to recommend. Yang Shin takes pride in its creative and mouthwatering dim sum, offering over 30 varieties. Most of the dishes were excellent, delicious finest quality food. The service crew was attentive, friendly, and fast. For vegans, you’ll need to ask for exclusive vegan dishes, there plenty of choices. The turnip flaky pastries are highly recommended, it is really hard to prepare it. The crispy crust and the hot melting stuffing is absolutely delicious and taste heavenly.

I also really enjoyed the bell peppers, pine nuts, vegetable cheese rolls, spring rolls and Xiao Long Bao. They serve both small dishes and pastries as well as larger dishes, enough to share with more than a couple of people. It’s very convenient to get there as the Songjiang Nanjing MRT Station exit is just next door.

The restaurant also has an extensive menu offering over 80 meatless dishes, such as the popular stir-fried crispy mushrooms and green beans and sauteed edible burdock root on rice.

Address: 128 Songjiang Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104

Tel: +886 2 2542 8828

Tip: Recommend calling ahead for reservations especially during the weekend; they have set time periods for different services.

#4 Yang Su Ting Loop Train Vegetarian Hot Pot (养素庭)

Thanks to the power of the internet, we chance upon a discovery for hot pot lovers in Taichung! Yang Su Ting is a loop train vegetarian hot pot. It is rare to find a vegetarian conveyor belt sushi restaurant, and it is even rarer to have a hot pot buffet stall with a loop train service. The dishes are delivered right in front of you. Dining here is so exciting and fun! Best to dine with family or friends! 🙂

This restaurant offers 9 different soup bases with over 30 varieties of dishes. Every month they will introduce different dishes, so you won’t get sick of the same set of dishes every time. To be honest, I was really fascinated with the train and the hot pot. The best part, this is an all you can eat buffet! Perfect buffet dining experience! haha

Tip: Be sure you sit nearer to the train entrance, imagine you are sitting behind 50 hungry men and women, not so fun when the train finally reaches you with the empty trays! haha

Address: No. 208, Section 2, Chongde Rd, Beitun District, Taichung City, Taiwan 40653

Tel: +886 4 2241 1585

#5 Xiu Yuan Vegetarian (修园素食)

Xiu Yuan is located next to Shang Ding Huang Jia Vegetarian Dumplings (上顶皇家素食水煎包), at the same stretch of the street opposite the Taipei Main Train Station. Their noodles and vermicelli are fantastic, but what makes them famous is their egg fried rice! The fried oyster is not the same as South East Asian’s fried oyster (or lua) but still worth a try! The herbal vermicelli is delicious, but because it is served piping hot it can be quite a challenge to eat especially when you are in a rush.

Address: No. 72之32, Section 1, Zhongxiao West Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100

Tel: +886 2 2375 6511

#6 Shuiwen Kaiten Sushi Vegetarian Restaurant (水問蔬食園)

Kaiten sushi is a famous sushi restaurant in Japan which allow customers to select their dishes from a conveyor belt. The restaurant differentiates their dishes according to 4 different types of vegetarian. The plates are colour coded as follow:

• Green for Vegan (No dairy products – nothing associate with animals)
• White for Lacto Vegetarian (Milk)
• Yellow for Ovo (Eggs)
• Red for Lacto-Ovo (Dairy)

Surprisingly, I really like their sashimi sushi. It has good texture and was delicious. Some are kinda unique, but in general, most of the dishes are delicious.

Address: No. 275, Songjiang Rd, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104

Tel: +886 2 2515 1615

#7 Guo Ran Hui (果然匯)

Guo Ran Hui is smaller in scale and has lesser food variety than Jew Dow. But in comparison with the restaurant sizes in Singapore, it is still considered a big restaurant. This restaurant offers over plenty different in-house made dishes and dressings, their salad bar consisted of fresh organic vegetables set out on a beautiful spread.

My favourite dishes are the shitake mushroom chestnut with fruit sauce, herbal soup vermicelli hot pot, and baked cheese pasta with broccoli and mushroom. Not really a fan of their monkey head steak, because of its texture, but the black pepper sauce is good! haha

Address: 106, Taiwan, Taipei City, Da’an District, Section 4, Zhongxiao E Rd, 200號明曜百貨 Mingyao Department Store

Tel: +886 2 2771 8832

#8 Da Ci Vegetarian (大慈素食)

If you want to try the authentic and original vegetarian food, Da Ci Vegetarian offers homespun dishes which can give you that nostalgic taste like in the 80s or 90s!  It gives you an idea what original vegetarian means. It was simple and mostly were home-made from soy, beancurd skin and other natural ingredients. I personally like the wanton soup the best! If you are ever in Taichung, skip your hotel breakfast and fuel your day in this stall.

Address: No. 328, Section 1, Dongshan Rd, Beitun District, Taichung City, Taiwan 406

Tel: +886 4 2437 5595

#9 Yang Sheng Vegetarian (养生素食)

I was strolling myself at Tamsui Market and I chance upon Yang Sheng Vegetarian. The Taiwanese-style rice vermicelli soup was recommended by the stall owner and I was impressed with the vermicelli as it was very soft and smooth. The broth of the soup was tasty and sweet because of the mock meat and radish! Worth a try if you ever passed by this stall at Tamsui.

Address: 156, Zhong Zheng Road, Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 251

Tel: +886 2 2629 1933

#10 Shan Shui Yuan Vegetarian (山水园)

Shan Shui Yuan Vegetarian Restaurant is located near to Cingjing farm. It is also a guest house for foreign visitors to reside for a night at Cingjing. A beautiful mountainous region of Taiwan definitely worth a visit to relax your mind. Just that your mouth cannot relax in Taiwan! haha

Similar to Da Ci Vegetarian in Taichung, Shan Shui Yuan offers Chinese-style homespun dishes, freshly made from original ingredients. What I appreciate is that they don’t use a lot of mock meats, some mock meats are home-made from mushrooms or beancurd skin.

Address: 54641, Taiwan, Nantou County, Ren’ai Township, 信義巷41號

Tel: +886 4 9280 3171

#11 Cingjing Carton King (紙箱王)

The Cingjing Carton Kind restaurant is NOT a fully vegetarian restaurant. You must be wondering why this can come on my recommendation list. No doubt this is not a fully vegetarian restaurant, but they offer a few vegetarian dishes. I kinda like the paper mushroom hot pot with rice, salad, vinegar and etc…

Most importantly, the design and theme of the restaurant are very interesting, it was fascinating eating with the cartons and cardboards around the restaurant (that explains why it’s call Carton King). The chairs, tables, Xmas tree, cup holder, cabinet, displays are all made of cartons. A fun place to have a lunch in.

Address: 546, Taiwan, Nantou County, Ren’ai Township, 定遠新村28號

Tel: +886 4 9280 3828

#12 Auntie’s Vegetarian Stall (阿姨素食)

This is a tough recommendation solely because of its location. This vegetarian restaurant has no name to it, but my friends and I decided to name it Ah Yi’s (Auntie’s) Vegetarian Stall. The stall owner is a hip middle aged lady who set up her stall in a small hidden corner at Xi Men Ding (The famous shopping district of Taipei).

You must try wanton soup ramen, egg soup, radish with dark soy sauce, beancurd with chilli, everything is homespun dishes and spot on taste! Nothing fanciful but simple and delicious! Maybe that’s what vegetarians should expect for.

Address: Section 2, Hankou Street, Xi Men Ding, Taipei City, Taiwan

8 Vegetarian Street/Random Food In Taiwan You Shouldn’t Miss Too!

Taiwan is well known and famous for their large number of night markets. A fascinating shopping experience is to shop through from the entrance all the way to the exit of the markets. Eating different snacks from the start to the end of the street. That is the Taiwanese style! haha Taiwan is not only famous for their restaurant or stall. Their street vendors are equally competitive, offering sumptuous food and snacks you can never forget! Eat with your mouth, melts in your heart! haha Caution: It’s highly addictive! You may do a yearly food pilgrimage to Taiwan because of this reason! haha

#13 Fried Mushroom (炸菇 – 台北淡水/台中逢甲夜市)

MY NUMBER ONE FAVOURITE SNACK IN TAIWAN! Did I not capitalise it enough? hahaha Sorry, I wasn’t scolding anyone, I merely want to show my enthusiasm and love for the Taiwanese fried mushroom in the night market. Love Love Love the fried mushrooms in Taiwan markets soooooo much! haha

Not all the fried mushroom stall in the night markets are good. The two best stall I have tried are in Taipei Tamsui stall facing the sea and Taichung Feng Jie Night Market smack in the middle of the night market street. Sorry guys, no address but you can pay attention to the stall front and the stall owner’s face! haha

Address: Taipei Tamsui District (face the sea) / Taichung Feng Jia Night Market

#14 Highest 7-Eleven in Taiwan (富嘉門市) – 2050m

If you ever visit Cingjing, remember to put He Huan Mountain in your itinerary. This article is about food, so I cannot show off my travel photos at He Huan Mountain. (Maybe check out my Instagram photos) The Taiwanese central region is a beautiful mountainous area with beautiful scenic drive and plenty of photo spot! En-route from Cingjing to He Huan Mountain, remember to stop by the highest 7-Eleven convenience store in Taiwan! It’s up at 2050 meters high.

In this 7-Eleven, they carry the instant vegetarian fried rice! Yes, you need to microwave, and this fried rice is AMAZING! Need I say more? Try it if you see it in Taiwan!

Address: No. 223-1, Renhe Rd, Ren’ai Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 546

#15 Taichung HSR Bento Set (台鐵便當)

Not just 7-Eleven, the Taichung HSR Bento set is kinda famous too. Especially their vegetarian bento set. Hey, they change their menu from time to time too. The Taiwanese F&B businesses understand that people will get bored with the same food every day, but not many F&B businesses know this open secret!

Address: At Taichung HSR Railway Station

#16 Sweet Potato Ball (地瓜球)

Crispy outside and fluffy inside, I love it! The Sweet Potato Balls were delicious and addictive. Must try when you come across it? I spotted it at Xi Men Ding! Support this ajumeoni (auntie) if you see her stall! 🙂

Address: Xi Men Ding Shopping District

#17 Shenkeng Beancurd Street’s Beancurd Ice Cream (豆腐冰淇淋)

A town situated on the outskirts of Taipei. I understand from the locals that this is the birthplace of stinky beancurd. What fascinates me is the beancurd ice cream. The freshness and unsweet ice cream taste heavenly (For me, minus away the stinky beancurd smell from the neighbours).

Address: Shenkeng St, Shenkeng District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 222

#18 Stinky Beancurd (台中逢甲夜市臭豆腐)

There is no way I can skip this right? haha I know there are many readers out there who might be disappointed that I am not a fan of stinky beancurd. I wouldn’t say I hate it, nor I like it! It’s just not my thing, but I do appreciate the crispy and freshness of the beancurd used to make the stinky beancurd. Anyway, so far the best stinky beancurd my friends and I have tasted was in Feng Jie Night Market. Look out for the stall near the side entrance to Feng Jie Night Market. There is a long queue, just queue behind the crowd! You won’t go wrong. haha 🙂

Address: All major night markets

#19 Light Bulb Bubble Tea (灯泡奶茶)

We all know Bubble Tea originates from Taiwan! It’s a favourite beverage in the world, especially by the Asians. Interestingly, I chance upon an unconventional bubble tea stall using a light bulb instead of the traditional cup. Cool enough to warrant a photo and recommendation. 🙂

Address: Tamsui Market face the sea

#20 Jumbo Ice Cream (巨无霸冰淇淋)

I must say this is nothing spectacularly special from other ice creams street vendors, but the Tamsui vendors pride themselves on being famous for the Jumbo Ice Cream. This ice cream is a super tall and swirly soft serve ice cream in a cone. It felt like I was holding a sword. Because I was cautious of my calories intake (a common thing when visiting Taiwan) hence, I only consumed half the ice cream instead.

Address: Tamsui Market face the sea (near Turkish Ice Cream)

Conclusion

I got really blown away by the vegetarian food in Taiwan of its varieties and finest food quality! If you ever come to Taiwan, try to hit all the above if possible! Leave a comment below and share with us (Travel Inspiration 360‘s readers) your recommendations of vegetarian places in Taiwan! After all, sharing is caring! 🙂

Feeling hungry? Desperately searching for a bite to grab? Well, if you are a vegan, it will be a little bit difficult for you to find vegetarian food. As a matter of fact, traveling the world as a vegetarian travel blogger is quite challenging. The best way to overcome this challenge is to explore some food and travel blogs before planning to visit any country/destination. These blogs will guide you the places where you can find vegan food. If you are planning to spend your vacations in Singapore, go through Singapore vegetarian blogs and gather all the information about vegetarian food SG.

 “Vegetarian food leaves a deep impression on our nature. If the whole world adopts vegetarianism, it can change the destiny of humankind.” Albert Einstein